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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bass — low music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com